Johnson on spot for rising Palace

Andy Johnson, whose 11 penalties last season could not quite keep Crystal Palace in the Premiership, scored from the spot for the first time in the current campaign to spark off an all too familiar debate. Was it a pen?

According to referee Phil Dowd, Clarke Carlisle's minimal contact with Clinton Morrison warranted the award. But the majority of those who had the benefit of a second look at ITV's highlights programme yesterday just had to agree that Morrison's fall to the floor would have been laughed off in local rep.

Which was more or less what the Watford manager, Adrian Boothroyd, thought of the incident which led to Palace's controversial winner. Explaining why he had asked the officials to look at the video, Boothroyd said: "That was in case we get him again, because he will have to improve his decision-making. I don't want him giving other managers heart attacks."

Boothroyd's opposite number Iain Dowie was, of course, in complete agreement with the penalty award. But as Dowie indicated, it should never have come down to that one signficant moment. Palace's brisk passing should have earned them a far more substantial interval lead than the goal Darren Ward hooked in from Jobi McAnuff's free kick.

With two holiday goals to his credit, the central defender could have further developed his penchant for scoring. So, too, could McAnuff, Johnson and Morrison but they were all foiled by Ben Foster, in Watford's goal.

"We were a little bit concerned that we hadn't got more of a lead," said Dowie, with good reason.

Watford's second-half improvement stemmed from Ashley Young's introduction and the apparent discovery by Anthony McNamee that his immediate opponent, Fitz Hall, will never make a right back.

After Darius Henderson had sped onto Marlon King's flick to fire the equaliser, the winger's trickery persuaded Watford to take the initiative. From McNamee's stream of tantalising crosses, Clarke forced a desperate reflex save from Gabor Kiraly, who would have had to make another had Young

connected properly. By then, Morrison had tumbled and Johnson had scored to give Palace their third successive win, taking them to within two points of their fourth-placed hosts and enhancing their prospects for an instant Premiership return.

And then came the arguments, topped off by the most surprising comment of all, from Watford's captain Gavin Mahon: "I thought the ref had a half-decent game."